Archive Formats Explained: ZIP, RAR, 7Z and TAR.GZ

Receiving a .7z or .rar file when you only have a ZIP-compatible tool is a common situation. These archive formats, which let you group and compress several files into one, are nevertheless not all identical, nor all natively supported by every system.

ZIP: the universal standard

ZIP is the most widespread archive format, natively supported by Windows, macOS and most Linux systems with no additional software. Its compression rate is decent without being the best on the market, but its universal compatibility makes it the default choice for sharing an archive without worrying about the recipient's software.

7Z: the best compression

The 7Z (7-Zip) format generally offers a higher compression rate than ZIP for a smaller final file size. The trade-off: it requires specific software (7-Zip or equivalent) on systems that don't natively support it, which can complicate opening it for a less well-equipped recipient.

RAR: widespread but proprietary

The RAR (WinRAR) format is very widely used, notably for sharing large files split into several parts. Unlike ZIP and 7Z, it's a proprietary format: creating RAR archives requires a WinRAR license, even though extraction is generally possible with free tools.

TAR.GZ: the standard of the Linux world

The TAR.GZ (or .tgz) format combines two steps: TAR groups several files into a single archive (without compressing them), then GZ (gzip) compresses that archive. It's the format of choice in the Linux ecosystem and for distributing source code, although modern tools support it on every system.

When to convert from one format to another?

• You receive a .7z or .rar archive but your software or final recipient only handles ZIP: convert to ZIP for maximum compatibility.
• You need to reduce an archive's size to send it more easily: converting a ZIP to 7Z can significantly reduce the final size.
• You work with Linux tools or servers that expect a TAR.GZ format as input.

The method, step by step

• To extract: drop your archive, and every file it contains is decompressed and listed individually.
• To convert: drop the source archive, choose the destination format, and download the new archive regenerated in that format.

In summary

Each archive format has its strengths: universal compatibility for ZIP, maximum compression for 7Z, popularity for RAR, Linux integration for TAR.GZ. Rather than installing several specific pieces of software, an online tool lets you juggle between these formats based on your needs at the moment.